Chapter 258: Whispers of the Heart

Lin Zheng Ran held the golden ponytail in his hand, Lily’s hair feeling incredibly smooth.

“Now?”

Lily hesitated, blushing as she said:

“I-I didn’t mean now. You can have it whenever you want! Anyway…” She thought of Heqing again. If she delayed, Heqing might swoop in and take him. She couldn’t keep falling into the same trap.

She gave a soft huff, like a whisper, and asked, “Don’t you want it now? Or after eating Heqing, you won’t want me anymore?”

Lin Zheng Ran stared at Lily’s shy and endearing expression; her cuteness when embarrassed far outshone the taste of anything else.

After speaking, Lily touched her pocket, knowing she had to take the initiative.

The night was full of possibilities, and delays could bring complications.

She pulled out a pack of condoms from her pocket and handed them to Lin Zheng Ran: “I brought these.”

Lin Zheng Ran looked surprised at the two condoms, picking them up:

“Why do you carry these around?”

“I…” she said, embarrassed, “I like to be prepared! Last time at the hotel, we agreed we’d do it on this trip. What if the hotel didn’t have any? We’d miss our chance!”

She paused, stumbling over her words:

“And… what if you suddenly wanted to do it somewhere else? As your girlfriend, I need to be ready, or I’d ruin the moment and you’d get mad.”

Seeing Lin Zheng Ran’s smile, Lily felt utterly mortified.

Still, he was her boyfriend, so what did it matter if she embarrassed herself?

Gathering her last bit of courage, her heart racing, she stared at him and asked, “So, don’t you want to taste what I have to offer? I’m delicious too, Zheng Ran. I won’t disappoint you.”

Lin Zheng Ran stroked the two ponytails in his hand.

He studied Lily in that moment.

Freeing one hand, he wrapped it around Lily’s slim waist, pulling her close.

Their bodies pressed together.

As she pursed her lips to kiss Lin Zheng Ran, he whispered:

“Then I’ll hold nothing back? Like we said last time, I’ll devour you completely. After all, in my eyes, Lily is the cutest, so if I’m going to taste you, I’ll do it right.”

Hearing him call her cute so bluntly made Lily’s heart race faster than ever.

She clutched his clothes tightly with her small hands, gazing at her childhood friend whom she’d known and liked for years:

“Do whatever you want. I’m yours anyway, you big idiot. You can treat me however you like. I only love you and everything you do to me. Do you even know how much I love you?”

Their lips drew closer, and Lily closed her eyes, savoring Lin Zheng Ran’s gentleness.

“Lily, take off your jacket and use it as a pad. The ground’s full of weeds and it’s dirty.”

“Okay.”

Lily slipped off her pink jacket and laid it on the ground with Lin Zheng Ran’s, making a makeshift bed.

In the dim storeroom, only a couple of faint moonbeams slipped through the wooden cracks.

Lily lay back on the jackets.

Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him, their fingers intertwining:

“Zheng Ran…”

Lin Zheng Ran smiled: “Don’t worry, even if I devour you completely, I’ll take it slow. You’re not a one-time treat, so no need to be scared.”

She turned her red face away: “Hmph, I’m not scared at all, idiot.”

Lin Zheng Ran kissed her lips gently a few times, and each time, Lily kissed back.

He started savoring her slowly, beginning at her neck.

Back in the hotel room, the sound of the flushing toilet signaled the start of the card game.

Han Wenwen and Xiao Heqing sat on the bed, quietly playing cards.

Though the game was short, the awkward atmosphere eased as they focused on the cards.

In just a few minutes, Xiao Heqing won the first round.

“I won.”

Han Wenwen set her cards down on the pile.

“Ask away, Xiao Heqing. I promise no lies.”

Xiao Heqing stared at Han Wenwen, straight to the point: “Han Wenwen, do you like Lin Zheng Ran?”

The little fox bit her lip, her face flushing as she nodded without hesitation: “Yes, I like him a lot.”

Though she’d expected it, hearing her best friend admit it so directly about her boyfriend still shocked her.

Her pure eyes widened, and she clenched her hands.

“Alright, let’s play another round.”

Han Wenwen said softly: “You could have just asked directly. I’d tell you everything.”

Xiao Heqing shuffled the cards: “No way. If we ask in a row, we’d end up fighting. Playing cards lets us cool off and talk slowly. It’s only two minutes per game anyway.”

Han Wenwen looked at Heqing with a helpless smile.

They played another round, and again, Xiao Heqing won.

She asked: “How long have you liked him? Or when did you start liking Lin Zheng Ran?”

Han Wenwen met her gaze: “For many years, since junior high.”

“Junior high… so you liked him right from the start? That early? Was it love at first sight?”

“Not exactly. I told you before, Xiao Heqing, I never really felt anything for boys back then. I thought I’d never fall for anyone. Even when I first met Brother Zheng Ran in junior high, I just thought he was handsome and fun. But he was your childhood friend, so I didn’t think twice. But…”

The little fox recalled that serious illness and the night of the New Year.

Even now, those events haunted her. After them, she knew she couldn’t live without Lin Zheng Ran.

Women like Han Wenwen knew their own stubborn nature all too well; once something got in, it stuck.

So, either you never fall for a man, or once you do, you’d die for him.

If Lin Zheng Ran asked her to follow him in death, she wouldn’t hesitate. Without him, what was the point of living?

“But later, after some experiences—not anything dramatic—I completely fell for Brother Zheng Ran. I can’t live without him.”

Xiao Heqing saw the deep affection in Han Wenwen’s eyes right then.

It was an intensity she’d never seen before.

Unexpectedly, tears welled up in Xiao Heqing’s eyes.

Han Wenwen felt a pang of guilt: “I’m sorry, Xiao Heqing, for hiding this for so long.”

Heqing wiped the tears from her eyes:

“I had no idea you felt this way about him. Why didn’t you tell me? We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

“In my heart, you’re my best friend and my only one. Today, I’m not lying—I didn’t tell you at first because I knew you liked him. I even thought about setting you two up at the beginning.”

“But once I fell for him, I didn’t know how to say it. I wanted to, but the feelings grew so strong…”

Heqing watched her intently.

“Are you saying you wanted to keep Lin Zheng Ran all to yourself and not share him? But he can’t just like one person.”

Han Wenwen looked at her in surprise.

Heqing frowned: “I’m the same way. We all are. Who wouldn’t want Lin Zheng Ran all to themselves? If he weren’t such a flirt, we’d all try to hog him! We’re all sneaking moments, just hoping for more time with him.”

Han Wenwen smiled: “That’s true, even Lily feels that way.”

The two best friends locked eyes and suddenly burst into laughter.